The prior art in this field discloses several GPS-based locator devices, which are wearable by a child and/or concealable on his/her person. These devices generally comprise a GPS receiver and a transmitter component, such as a wireless telephone. Examples of such devices are described in the U.S. patent application publications of Wong (2004/0198382 A1) and Levanen (2009/0042534 A1), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
A major disadvantage of the prior art GPS child-locator devices is that they can be readily defeated by removing the device from the child's person. Since the availability of such GPS locators has been widely publicized, a kidnapper or sexual predator is likely to search a child after an abduction for such a device and remove it, thereby rendering its tracking function inoperative.
Another critical problem of the prior art GPS child-locator designs is the need to accommodate wireless telephonic transmission/reception components within a housing that is compact enough to be worn on or attached to the child's body without obstructing his/her movements.
The present invention addresses the deficiencies in the prior art GPS-based child-locator devices by providing a device which can be securely locked to a child's wrist or ankle so as to be removable only by using one or more custom mechanical keys and/or resettable software keys/codes. The present invention also utilizes a novel antenna design to achieve a very compact profile for the housing which contains the device's electrical components.